Moscow gay pride parade organizers complain to Strasbourg court

Moscow, February 10, Interfax - The organizers of the Moscow gay pride parade have complained to the European Court of Human Rights over the ban on the parade in the Russian capital on May 16, 2009, movement activist Nikolay Alexeyev said.

"On February 10, the organizers of the Moscow gay pride parade sent a complaint against Russia to the European Court of Human Rights over the ban of demonstrations and picketing in support of tolerance and respect for the rights and liberties of homosexuals in Russia and Belarus," Alexeyev said in a letter obtained by Interfax on Wednesday.

The complaint's authors claim the ban of the events organized by the gay movement violates the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, in particular Article 11 (right to freedom of assemblies), Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination) and Article 13 (the right for an effective remedy).

The organizers seek 200,000 euros in damages from the Russian government.

The European Court "continues to hear our complaints against the ban of three gay pride parades in Moscow in 2006, 2007 and 2008," Alexeyev recalled. "The Russian authorities have just ten days to lay out their position on these bans, as demanded by the Strasbourg Court," he said.

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